Between November 4 and November 17, TSA screened 31.7 million passengers and found 205 firearms in carry-on bags. Of the 205 firearms discovered, 176 were loaded and 72 had a round chambered.
Don’t pack your firearm in your carry-on bag. Bringing a firearm to the security checkpoint may lead to a civil penalty of up to $13,333 or an arrest. And if you’re a TSA Pre✓® member, you could lose your status. Check out our transporting firearms and ammunition page to learn how to pack it properly.
See all firearm discoveries from November 4 to November 17 in this chart.
A passenger alarmed while processing through a TSA security checkpoint at Orlando International Airport on November 15. After a patdown TSA Officers located a firearm concealed in her chest area. The passenger was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm. The firearm didn’t have a round chambered but did have a loaded magazine. Thankfully, the ammunition was loaded backwards.
Concealing prohibited items from TSA officers can land you in big trouble! We’re talking like heavy civil penalties and the possibility of arrest. So don’t do it!
Heading back to Orlando International Airport, where TSA officers discovered two high-capacity magazines concealed in an infant’s toy. Officers called a bag check on the toy after undergoing X-ray screening. The toy and box were made to appear to be factory sealed. Local police were called and confiscated the magazines.
Not to talk to you like a baby, but “magazines go in your checked bag. Not in the bag you carry-on. I got your nose!”
Grenades aren’t cool. And they aren’t allowed in carry-on or checked baggage! Learn from these three passengers starting on the left:
- An Atlanta passenger learned this lesson after TSA officers discovered this replica grenade in their carry-on bag on November 4.
- A Detroit Wayne County Airport TSA officer discovered an empty grenade during checked bag screening on November 11.
- Arkansas Fort Smith Airport TSA officers discovered this baseball grenade during checked bag screening on November 14.
Our mission at TSA is to do everything in our power to make sure you get to your destination safely by keeping dangerous items off planes. The most common explanation we hear from travelers for prohibited items is, “I forgot it was in my bag.” Don’t be that person. Save yourself some money and embarrassment and thoroughly check your bags for prohibited items before heading to the airport.
So come prepared! For a list of prohibited items, be sure to use the What Can I Bring? tool. If you have questions about the security process, reach out to AskTSA on Twitter or Facebook. Our AskTSA team will happily answer even the most outlandish travel-related questions.
Want to know how many firearms we found last year? Check out our 2018 blog post.
Also, don’t forget to check out our top 10 most unusual finds video for 2018.
Want to learn more or see the other wacky finds? Follow us @TSA on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
Jay Wagner
